Ninth-Ranked Cavs Host Terps

#9 Virginia (10-2, 1-2)
Virginia has won four of its last five games and it hopes to even
its ACC record tonight when they face Maryland. The Cavaliers dropped their
second consecutive conference road game on Monday at Clemson and UVa is off
to its worst ACC start since the the 1982-83 season when it opened the
conference slate 0-3. The Cavaliers went on to post a 4-9 record in the ACC
that year.

Senior Mimi McKinney leads the team in scoring (15.1 ppg) followed
by DeMya Walker (14.8 ppg) and Erin Stovall (10.2 ppg). Walker leads the
team in rebounding with 7.9 rpg.

Head Coach Debbie Ryan, in her 21st season, brings a career record
of 472-159 (.748) into tonight's game.

Virginia is 6-0 at home, 4-2 on the road, and 0-0 at neutral sites
this season.

Maryland (9-4, 2-1)
The Terps have won two of their last three games including a 61-59
win over Wake Forest on Jan. 4. Maryland, which started the season with 10
players, now has only nine players after junior Rachel Cimmier underwent
knee surgery and is out for the season.

Senior Kalisa Davis leads the team in scoring (16.1 ppg) followed
by senior Sonia Chase (15.8 ppg) and senior Stephanie Cross (15.0 ppg).
Cross is the team's leading rebounder with 7.2 boards per game.

Head Coach Chris Weller brings a career record of 441-212 into
tonight's game. She is in her 23rd year at the helm of the Maryland
program.

Series Record
Virginia holds a 27-20 advantage in the series with Maryland, one
of the UVa's oldest and longest rivalries. The Cavaliers have won the last
12 meetings between the two teams. These two teams last met in University
Hall on Jan. 9, 1997 with Virginia coming out on top 60-42. The Terps have
not won in University Hall since Jan. 15, 1992 when Maryland defeated
Virginia 67-65.

Points From the Pine
The Cavalier reserves are contributing a total of 22.3 points per
game this season, which is 32.8 percent of the total offense. Erin Stovall
is the top reserve, averaging 10.2 points from the bench.

Double Figures
DeMya Walker is one of three Cavaliers who have scored in double
figures in eight or more games this season. Walker leads the team in
double-figure games with 10, followed by Mimi McKinney with nine and Erin
Stovall with eight.

'Hoos Hot
In Virginia's last four games, Mimi McKinney averaged 18.5 points
and 5.0 rebounds per game, including a career-high 23 points vs. Clemson on
Jan. 5. In the last two games, McKinney averaged 21.5 ppg and shot .470
percent from three-point range and .875 from the free throw line.

DeMya Walker averaged 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds in the last
three games. Against Florida State, Walker was two blocks away from
recording a triple-double with 21-points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks.
Her eight blocks established a new UVa single-game record for blocks. The
previous mark was seven held by Walker (twice), Heidi Burge and Jackie
LaBerge.

Home Sweet Home
The Cavaliers are 278-49 during the last 24 years at home and are
116-8 in University Hall since 1990. Virginia has won nine straight games
in U-Hall with the last loss occurring on Jan. 27, 1997 against North
Carolina (75-71).

Double-Doubles
Lisa Hosac recorded the first double-double of the season with her
12 point-12 rebound performance against Kent on Nov. 21. Last season, she
recorded two double-doubles.

DeMya Walker recorded her first double-double of the year with her
13 point-14 rebound performance vs. VCU on Nov. 29. She recorded her second
one against Mt. St. Mary's on Dec. 8 with 19 points-17 rebounds. Her third
came on Jan. 2 vs. Florida State with 21 points-13 rebounds.

Walker Sets Another Blocked Shot Record
DeMya Walker set a new UVa single game record for blocked shots
with eight blocks in the Florida State game on Jan. 2. She broke the old
record of seven which was held by Walker (twice), Heidi Burge and Jacki
LaBerge.

Walker's first block of the season, which came in the 13:06 mark
in the second half of the William & Mary game (Nov. 16), established her as
the Virginia's all-time blocks leader, eclipsing the mark of 152 set by
Heather Burge (1990-93). Walker ended the night with three blocks.

Climbing Up The Charts
Kate Mooney and Mimi McKinney are moving up the chart in career
three-point field goals made. Mooney and McKinney each have 59
three-pointers in their careers which puts them in a tie for seventh place
all-time in Virginia history.

Gardner Leaves Team
Senior Tammy Gardner ended her college career when she decided not
to return to UVa for the Spring semester. Gardner, who graduated last May
with a degree in psychology, saw action in three games this season. She
was a graduate student in the Curry School of Education at UVa and has
plans to enter physical therapy school.

Tracy Added To Roster
Katie Tracy, a 5-5 freshman point guard from Richmond, Va., was
added to the Virginia roster on Dec. 12. Tracy, who started all 21 games
for the Virginia women's soccer team this past Fall, will bolster the
Cavalier roster that has been hit hard with injuries. UVa began the season
without guards Tiffany Bower and Monick Foote who are out for the year with
injuries.

Tracy was a three-time Dominion District Player of the Year and a
two-time Central Region Player of the Year in basketball as well as the
Virginia High School League State Player of the Year. Tracy led James
River High School to the the state finals last season and averaged 14.0
points for her prep career. She was also the Richmond Times Dispatch
Player of the Year as a junior and a senior and a three-time All-State
selection in basketball.

As a midfielder for head coach April Heinrichs and the nationally
ranked UVa soccer team, Tracy was the team's fourth leading scorer with
four goals and four assists. The soccer team posted a 14-5-2 record and
advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. During her prep soccer
career, she was a NSCAA and Parade All-American.

Out For The Season
The Cavaliers will be without the services senior guard/forward
Monick Foote and junior guard Tiffany Bower. Foote made the decision to
redshirt this season due to a chronic ankle problem (right) and a stress
fracture in the same leg that developed during the summer. Foote wants to
take the time to properly rehab the leg and comeback for a healthy senior
year in 1998-99.

Bower suffered a torn left achilles tendon on the third day of
practice and will not play this season. Bower worked extremely hard over
the summer to come back from a torn right achilles tendon which she
suffered on the eve of the NCAA Tournament last March and was cleared to
play this season.

ACC Teleconference
The weekly ACC teleconference begins next week on Jan. 8. Please
check the ACC press release for times for all the coaches. Head Coach
Debbie Ryan is scheduled for 11:56 every week. The media phone number is
(212) 547-0297.

Wendy Palmer's Number Retired
Number 31, worn by two-time All-American Wendy Palmer, was retired
in a ceremony on Jan. 2, prior to the game with Florida State.

Palmer, who became the first women's player in UVa history to
record over 1000 points and 1000 rebounds, was a two-time ACC Player of the
Year and a three-time All-ACC First Team selection.

At Virginia, Palmer ranks first in career rebounds (1221), second
in career field goals made (780), third in career scoring (1918), seventh
in career steals (219), seventh in career free throws made (327) and ninth
in games played (126).

After she graduated in 1996 with a degree in history, Palmer played
professional basketball in Europe and was selected in the elite draft by
the Utah Starzz of the WNBA.